The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-07-06
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Notes on the Lesson for July 10
THE Flight Into Egypt"

OF tue last lesson Places, bethlehem, Egypt,
Nazareth
SPECIAL MENTION.
The Journey 10 EgypL -JOseph's flight into
Egypt involved Journey OF more than two
hundred niles He doubtless took the most
direct road, and TINS led him nearly due west
from Bethlehem for seven or eight miles,
where he Tell INTO the road gong uown from
Jerusalem TO GAIA, the road when the EthI-
oplan eunuch was afterward following when
he was overtaken by Philip. He struck this
road where II begins It's descent through the
mountain passes INTO the valley OF Elan, now
called Wady Stunt On entering that valley
he was close IN the vicinity OF the battle
ground where his father, David, slew the
giant, Goliath for be passed in sight of the
village OF Shochon q sam II: Isl When no
had passed thence across the lower mountains
IN the Phliistne plain and drew near to GAIA,
he fell INTO the path along which the Joseph
or Old from whom his name was derived was
led by the Ishmaelites, and this he followed
the rest of the way. The path nad also been
trod by the feet OF Jacob and of Abraham,
and 1t is scarcely possible that Joseph can
have failed To remember these incidents, or 10
have reflected very solemnly on the cOnnec-
ton between the promise made to these patri-
archs and the child for whom lac was caring.
standard Ecclesiastical Commentary
Significance u TIE SojouTn M Egypt All
Palestine was under Herod, SO that he could
have reached them in any part of 1t; but IN
Egypt the fugiuyes were safe. 1t was, more
over, almost another Judea, for the favor
shown 10 their race by the Ptolemies had in
duced as many as million Of Jews TO settle
IN the Nile valley; and of the five quarters of
Alexandra, with 100000 free citizens, Jews
occupied more than two. They had a temple
OF their own at Leontopolis III the Delta, for
about 100 years, though they preferred 10 go
up TO that at Jerusalem. The Greek transla-
ton OF the Bible, which has already widely
taken the place of the Hebrew original, had
l.l
by their efforts TO turn JUDAISM INTO philo-
sophie system which should win for 1t the
favor OF the cultivated Romans and the
Greeks, had founded new school for Jewish
theology, which was hereafter to influence
even Christianity. (GeikIe) The very land
which was the land OF bondage and groanine
for the Jews became now the land OF refuge
and safety for the newborn King of Judea
God can overturn nations and kingdoms, so
that those whom he loves shall be safe any
where. (Barnes) The flight TO Egypt had
three purposes: l. The security Of tho child
from his enemies. = To show the divine
care and valuation of the holy child. g. To
make his childhood's sufferings an antitype
OF the history of chosen Israel As Israel
went down into Egypt and tarrled there under
compulsion of Herod until restored to
OF Egypt did God call his Son,
namely: His collective son, Israel, and His
individual son, Christ (Neldon.) The flight
of our Lord from his own land to the land Of
darkness and ldOlatry lmpresses on us the re-
atty of his humiliation. herod's cup was we'll
nlgn full and the doom that soon overtook
HIM could have arrested him then in his
bloody attempt; but Jesus, in accepting hu-
mainly, accepted all its incidents He was
saved, not by the intervention OF God, but by
the obedience of Joseph; and from the storms
OF persecution he had TO use the common
means of escape. After the death of Herod,
in less than year, Jesus returned with his
parents to their own land and went TO Naz-
areth, where they abode. (Archbiship Thcmp-
SON.
Herods Death 1t has been noticed that the
loathsome disease Of which Herod died is
hardly mentioned in history, except in the case
of men who have been rendered in amous by
an atrocity of prosecuting zeal On his bed of
lntolerable angush-in that splendid and lux
urious palace which he had built for himself
under the palms of Jericho; swollen with dis
ease and scoTched by thirst; liberated ex-
ternally, and glowing inwardly with soft,
slow fire." surrounded by plotting sons anu
plundering slaves, detesting all and detested
by all; longing for death as release from
his torturos, yet dreading il as the beginning
of worse terrors; stung by remorse, vet
still unslaked with murder; horror to
all around him, yet IN his guilty con-
science worse terror to himself: de-
voured by the premature corruption of an
anticipated grave; eaten Of worms as though
vislbly smitten by the finger OF Gods wrath,
after seventy years of successful villany-
the wretched old man, whom men had called
the Great lay III savage frenzy awaiting his
last hour The day of HerOds death was as
he had foreseen, observed a festival. His
will was disputed; his kingdom disintegrated;
his last order was dsobeved; his sons died
for the most part in infamy and exile; the
curse Of God was on his house, and though,
by ten wives and many concubines he seems
TO have had nine sons and five daughters, vet
within a hundred years the family of the
hierOdOutOS Of Ascalon had persisted by
disease or violence, and there was no living
descendant TO perpetuate the name. Farrar)
Rdmdh. "A small town in the tribe of Ben
iamin, and SIX miles north of Jerusalem 1t
was the birthplace and burial-pace Of Sam
uel and the spot where Saul was anointed
king q Sam /: 10 20; . IL 5: 4; 10: IS; %:
y. Not far distant from Ramah, yet south OF
Jerusalem and IN the more immediate vicinity
of Bethlehem, was the tomb of Rachel and the
supposed place of her burial Gen. 80: 1920;
As: y. The figure becomes a typical prophecy
of the grief in Bethlehem Rachel was the
ancestress of the tribe of Benjamin, which
was ALWAYS identified in fortune with Judah
She well represents the mothers of Bethle-
hem, near to which she died in childbirth, and
was buried The sound of her lamentations
is carried beyond Jerusalem, and heard at
Ramah. Popular Commentary "Divine
prophecies" says Lord Bacon, "being of the
nature of their Author, with whom thousand
years are as one day, are not punctually ful-
filled at once, but have sprngiug and germi-
nant accomplishment throughout many ages"
and DIR. Wordsworth adds, have, at length,
their summer blossom and autumnal rlpeness
III Christ
Archela,S Son Of Herod the Great by his
fayorite wife, Malthace. After Herod had
slain his three sons, Arlstobulus, Alexander,
and Antpater. he left by will his dOminons TO
Archelaus as king Upon the death of Herod
Archelaus was proclaimed king by the popu-
lation but did not dare to assume the crown
until his title should be confirmed by the En-
peror OF Rome. Thereupon the Jews sent a
solemn embassy TO the Emperor, petitioning
that they might be exempted from the reign
of any of Herods family, and that Judea
might be governed as a Roman province un-
der the governor of Syria After reign of
nine years he was deposed by the Emperor
and died in exile (Whedon)
sEED-TRUTHs AND GERM THOUGHTS.
|. Gods timely counsels and warnings to
MS people ". l3l.
. The child may have far greater name
and work than the mother ". 13l.
j. As the world prosecuted Christ, so will il
persecute his followers ". l3).
T. Obedience is not only the way of safety,
but the way to honor God and his word ".
~.
< AS Christ was protected and delivered, so
also will his followers be ". l5l.
g. Homes should be changed and chosen for
the good OF the family Tvs IA, 81, 80.
Subject of lesson for July Il: John the
Baptist Matt iii LIP
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DIR. ALFRED RUSSELL WALLACE, who